Part Two of the worldwide sensation, NikeBlog.com’s Top Shoes of 2009. I covered shoes 15 through 11 here, so we’re now on to 10 through six. For the ground rules and reasons why shoes like the True Blue 3′s aren’t on here check out Part One. And now let’s get going, number 10 …
NUMBER 10: Nike Air Safari Black/Orange-Grey
Nike did the retro of the Air Safari ’87 the right way: They took the original colorway, with some slight alterations like contrasting stitching outlining the Swoosh and overlay and placing black around the collar rather than more Safari print which just blended in. The result was a remarkable retro release that may have surpassed the original, and maybe the most overlooked classic of the year.
NUMBER 9: Nike Zoom Stefan Janoski SB Obsidian/White 
This may seem like a peculiar choice, but I’d put this as one of the top new silhouettes of the year, maybe the best. The shoe takes a classic, casual boat shoe look, combines it with a skater-preferred design and Zoom air, and throws plenty of simple but effective colorways at the shoe. I could have picked a top ten just from the plethora of releases the Janoski got, but I settled on the beautiful dark blue leather pair, with a white midsole and traditional boat shoe laces. And from the previews we’ve seen, it looks like the best of the Janoski SB may not even come until 2010.
NUMBER 8: Nike Air Griffey Max 1 Volt
This was pretty simple; One Air Griffey Max 1 had to make the list and simply put this was the best of the year. The varsity royal created a vibrant, crisp look while the volt created an eye-catching balance of opposites. Not just the best Griffey colorway of the year, the best ever.
NUMBER 7: Air Jordan 1 Hi Black/Shadow Grey-White
Obviously there had to be an Air Jordan 1 on here, it’s the basketball shoe, man. I’ll opt for the oft-overlooked black/shadow grey pair. You have to love a primarily black AJ1 because that’s really the heritage of the shoe, and the shadow grey was such a subtle, suitable-for-all-occasions color choice it beat out the various other colorways, Hi Straps versions and wool-Swooshed AJ1s.
NUMBER 6: Nike Air Max 2009 “Volt”
Like the Zoom Stefan Janoski SB, the Air Max 2009 was one of the best new shoes of 2009 and the “volt” colorway was far and away the best version. Sporting a primarily neutral grey upper with electric green showing through underneath the outer shell, in the air pockets and on the inner-lining, this colorway was bright enough to be eye-catching but begged not to be relegated to your daily run. I call it the “volt” colorway because that’s what it was erroneously tagged as before its release and thus the name by which it’s known, even though the true volt Air Max 2009 was this one. But that’s a digression. This was one of the best colorways of the year, Air Max 2009 or otherwise.
And that takes us through number six. Stay tuned tomorrow for the unveiling of the top five shoes of 2009, including the OG colorway of an old favorite as well as a unique take on that same favorite, a new spin on an iconic shoe, a brand new silhouette and the most recent release on the list. Oh what, oh what could they be?